So, I’m writing this post pre-conference because I know how tired I’ll be when I get back on Sunday evening, but surprisingly…I’m tired now too.  Ya know–from all that packing and the dirty rotten cold that I’ve been fighting with all week.  So, before I take some Nyquil and fall asleep, I thought I’d share with you some of my best packing tips for a conference since they’re fresh in my mind.  Yes, I know this post would have been fantastic about a week ago, but I wasn’t packing then.  Think about it as a well-prepared post for all those spring conferences coming up. Now on to it…

1. Dress in layers-you never know what the temp in the room is going to be like and it can change from room to room.

2. Wear comfortable shoes.  Your fancy shoes should be comfortable and then also bring a REALLY comfortable pair and plan your outfit around them for Sunday–because by then your feet hate you.  Also for Sunday’s outfit–I’ve learned to wear a really cool shirt (like a short sleeve) as my base layer because often that is book signing/I’ve already checked out of my room day and you are carrying enough stuff to make a pack mule look dainty.  And because of that you might sweat…a little. I’ve learned this the hard way–trust me!

3. Pack enough chocolate for you and all your friends.  I feel this should be self explanatory. If it is not, we will schedule a private tutorial.

3. If you already have books from an author that you want to get signed–pack them!  Sounds like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many times I’ve forgotten mine. Grrrr

4. Camera!!!!  Especially if you have family and/or blog.  For the family–(private use only) I try to take pics of things that I couldn’t possible adequately explain to them.  If you’re blogging about the conference, your reader will get so much out of having visuals to go with your recap.  I  personally feel it really makes a difference and I know I always gravitate to the recaps with l0ts of eye catching pics.

5. Pack a sturdy bag for all the books you buy.  You always think you might not buy so many but when a speaker talks about a book it becomes personal and it’s hard to resist buying it.

6. A list (even if it’s a mental one) of gifts that you might need to give.  An author signed book is great for family and friends, charity (I get one or two for my children’s school library) or for a contest on your blog.

7. BRING BUSINESS CARDS!!!!  I can’t stress this enough.  Part of the fun of a conference is meeting wonderful new friends.  You want these new friends to be able to stay in touch.  I’ve meet the BEST PEOPLE EVER at my conferences.

8. These next items are going to be light in your suitcase but they are still important to bring with you–an open mind. Take it all in.  Take notes.  Take time to digest it.  Let it all wash over you.

9. Take confidence.  You belong at this conference.  YOU ARE A WRITER AND THIS IS YOUR TRIBE–DO NOT FEEL LIKE A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN IN YOUR OWN TRIBE.

10. Bring kindness–not everyone packs #9 when they prepare for a conference, especially their first one.  Be a friend.  Do not let people eat alone, sit on the sidelines or feel like they do not belong.  It costs you nothing to be kind, thoughtful and to remember what it felt like when you lack confidence.  Be a leader.

I’ll be back on Wednesday with some after-action conference review.  In the meantime, what’s your favorite conference tip?  Did any of my tips make your to-do list? Do you have a link to a review of the conference you’d like to share?  Come on–give me something because *yawn* I need to stay awake.

Tags: Conferences, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, NY12SCBWI, Packing Tips, SCBWI, Touching the Surface, YA Author, YA Book, YA Novel, YA Writer

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By the time you grab your coffee and read this, I’ll be eating a bagel at the Marketing Workshop at the New York SCBWI Conference.  That’s a thumbs up for bagels and marketing knowledge and a raspberry for getting up that early in the morning.  Thinking ahead–yes, I AM talking about me.  *gives you the stink eye* I planned out today’s blog post and Monday’s because I’ll be spending my first day after the conference in bagel detox.  And sadly, reclimbing Mt. Laundrious as my kids have come to call that pile of clothes in their closet that almost touches the ceiling.  Cheeky little bugger aren’t they.  So, since I was out in the wild at the train station, this morning, I thought that In The Wild would be a wonderful theme for today’s blog.

Not too long ago I mentioned that my local B&N had relocated the YA department from–right next to the kids section…to snuggled up in the adult section.  I asked my friend Linda (who works there) how the change was going and she gave it a thumbs up. I also promised some pictures of the new arrangement…

A display table that is chock full of books and the aisles behind the table are all YA!

So many of my favorite titles and authors hanging out on the shelves.

Sorry, these didn’t look this blurry on my phone. Grrrr…

And as I was wandering around, petting and hugging the books, I found some books that I’d never seen out in “The Wild” before. You can click on the picture to find out more about the book and it’s author.

Double Apocalypsie Trouble–Click on the pic for a link to more info about Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more info about TEMPEST by Julie Cross

UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi–An Apocalypsie!!!

THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney–one of Michelle Wolfson’s Wolf Pack!!!!

DARKER STILL: Magic Most Foul Book #1 by Leanna Renee Hieber–Also and Apocalypsie!!!

Another Apocalypsie!!! FRACTURED by Megan Miranda

Another Wolf Pack author!!! Two out of three of the PARANORMALCY series by Kiersten White–Did I tell you that I’m reading ENDLESSLY RIGHT NOW!!! Yes, be jealous.

My class of 2k12 girl–Robin Bridges with THE GATHERING STORM Book#1 of the Katerina Trilogy

Apocalypsie Double Trouble! Click on the picture for a link to Brodi Ashton’s EVERNEATH and click HERE for more on TEMPEST by Julie Cross.

My Simon Pulse Housemate–Lucas Klauss with EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE

Apocalypsie and NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR Marissa Meyer and CINDER!!!!!

I can’t even tell you how exciting it is to see all these books out in the wild.  So exciting!!!!  Can’t wait to stop in again soon and see who else is peaking out at me from the shelves.

FYI–I’ll be blogging about the conference when I get back, but in the meantime you can follow the conference live from twitter–just follow #NY12SCBWI  I’ll do my best to keep you up to date.  So, have you read any of the books that I’ve spotted out in the wild?  What did you think?  Any that you’re lusting for?

Tags: Apocalypsies, Arissa Meyer, Barnes & Noble, Brodi Ashton, Daisy Whitney, Julie Cross, Kiersten White, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Leanna Renee Hieber, Lucas Klauss, Megan Miranda, Michelle Wolfson, Robin Bridges, Simon Pulse, Touching the Surface, Veronica Rossi, Wolf Pack, YA Author, YA Book, YA Novel, YA Writer

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Before I announce the two winners to my Apocalypsie/New Website Contest…Here’s the winners of the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes!!!!  The whole week was fantastic.  It was so much fun to meet so many awesome folks and I loved that they helped me to launch my new website.  I used a random number generator to pick my two winners.  They will get to pick any Apocalypsie book that they’d like.  If the book is out now, I’ll order and send it.  If it’s not available yet, I’ll pre-order the book now or as soon as pre-ordering becomes available.  So…drum roll please…my two winners are…

Zoe from IN THE NEXT ROOM   AND Zay (still tracking down her information)

Congratulations!!!!  I can’t wait to see what books they pick.

So…If you had won the contest, what would be your top Apocalypsie Book??? (No offense if you don’t say TOUCHING THE SURFACE. *grin*)

Tags: Apocalypsies, Contest, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Touching the Surface, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer, YAmazing Race

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The NYSCBWI Conference kicks off on Friday and I just heard that the Conference has SOLD OUT!  I love knowing that the children’s writing community is loaded and ready for bear.

I always look forward to any SCBWI event–meeting up with all my friends, inspiring speeches, long lines to use the ladies room.  (Well, maybe not that one.)  But the rest of the conference is so good the bathroom lines don’t even matter!

I also have some additional reasons to be excited for this year’s event.

*I’m meeting up with some new friends–folks I’ve met online, who I’ll get to met in person for the very first time.  I’m thrilled that this is their first NY Conference and I get to be a part of the excitement.

*I’m also getting face to face time with some of the debut authors from the Class of 2k12 and the Apocalypsies!!!  I feel like I really “know” so many of these fabulous writers and now I get to hug them–AWESOME!!!

*I’m also really looking forward to the Marketing Intensive.  First of all because I’m hoping to learn a lot and secondly, because I find it so encouraging that every year the SCBWI takes the advice of it’s attendees and makes an effort to implement new things to enhance the conference.  It feels wonderful to know that someone is listening and cares.  Thanks SCBWI!

*And lastly, I’m bringing my baby with me!!!!  Yup, I get to bring my ARC of Touching the Surface to show all my friends.  This is an amazingly cool thing for me.  These friends are the very same people I have been going to conferences with for years and they have been forced to hear me blabber on and on about this book and about my hopes and dreams for it.  Now I can assure them that all their bloody ear drums have been worthwhile.  *grin*

So excited for Friday!!! Have you been to a writer’s conference yet?  Share your best tip.  Hoping to attend sometime?  I’ll try to answer any conference questions?  Who is the dream speaker you’d love to hear at an event?  I think the one topping my list right now would be John Green!!!

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, NY12SCBWI, SCBWI, Touching the, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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I had a dream.  It wasn’t an earth shattering, life changing, Martin Luther King kind of a dream, although I do have those from time to time.  This was a dream that my book, TOUCHING THE SURFACE, was out at Net Galley.  I hadn’t expected it to come out while I was sleeping and I may have peed myself a little bit at the thought.  Phew…it was only a dream. *goes and changes underwear*   And here’s the thing, dreams can mess you up.  They take you outside of the box where you’ve neatly laid your crap and they force you to look at what is below the surface.  Sometimes they even qualify as nightmares.  I still have vivid memories of a few harsh unrealities that have clung to me over the years.  The subconscious mind is a powerful thing.

But that is not always a bad thing.  Because dreams can be catalysts and goals.  They can be clarity and honesty of self.  They can be hope.

Freedom Writers-I Have a Dream

Worst nightmare? Best Dream?

Tags: 2012, Freedom Writers, I Have a Dream, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Martin Luther King, Touching the Surface, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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*******THE YAmazing RACE IS NOW CLOSED!*******

Welcome to the very first Apocalypsie YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes.  And as a special bonus–welcome to the launch of my brand new website.  I’ll give you all the information for the YAmazing race first and then if you stick around I have a contest of my own.  Are you ready racers?  On your mark…get set…go!

Welcome to my stop on the YAmazing Race with MGnificent prizes!!!  The race is a crazy whirlwind Apocalypsie blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs featuring ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! If you haven’t yet been to the Apocalypsies website, please click here [link to Apocalypsie website] to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.  Although this post is up and ready to go, REMEMBER THAT THE RACE DOESN’T OFFICIALLY BEGIN UNTIL MONDAY 1/16 at NOON-EST! Now on to the race!

TOUCHING THE SURFACE  By: Kimberly Sabatini

September 4, 2012

Simon Pulse – Simon and Schuster

Life altering mistakes are meant to alter lives…

When Elliot dies for the third time, she knows this is her last shot. There are no fourth-timers in this afterlife, so one more chance is all she has to get things right. But before she can move on to her next life, Elliot will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed.

As she pieces together the mistakes of her past, Elliot must earn the forgiveness of her best friend and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

Have you been paying attention? Store all that information away in your brain for the quiz ahead! And remember, you must complete ALL FIVE quizzes to be eligible for a prize pack.

But before you go…BONUS CONTEST!!!!!

This is very easy way to win a pre-order or a copy (if it’s already out) of the Apocalypsie book of your choice…PLUS… some TOUCHING THE SURFACE swag. (Yes! I’m starting to get some swag together.) I’ll be picking two winners at random–all you have to do is take a peek at my new website and leave a comment about what you think.  Your comment can be about something you like, or feel free to let me know if you notice something that would make the site better or easier to use.  I absolutely adore my new “home,”  but I’m still molding the site and would love to hear your feedback.

Thanks for stopping by for the YAmazing race and for the launch of my new website.  Now here’s your link to your next stop on the YAmazing Race…J.A. Souders!!!!!  Good Luck!!!!!

Tags: Apocalypsies, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Touching the Surface, YA, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer, YAmazing Race

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Monday is the kickoff of the YAmazing Race with MGnificent Prizes!!!!  That means that the Apocalypsies are hosting a crazy whirlwind blog hop featuring over 50 debut authors and prize packs that include ARCs, gift certificates, swag, and more! On Monday January 16th I’ll direct you to the Apocalypsies website, or you can just stop by there to start from the beginning and read the complete rules.  The race doesn’t start until noon EST on that Monday.

So what do you do on a blog hop?  Here’s a quick rundown of the rules…

Participants will be directed to the Apocalypsies blog, where they will find an introductory post that that explains the rules and how to run the race. The race is broken into five Legs. Participants will click on the first blog which will lead them to the next, and the next. At the end of each Leg, they will take a quiz with questions about the books they just learned about in that Leg. The Apocalypsies blog will have links to the start of all Legs, in case people want to spread them out. The winners will be whoever get the most questions correct – in the case of a tie, winners will be picked at random.

Easy and fun!  So mark your calendar and get ready to race!!!!

Tags: blog hop, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer, YAmazing Race

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Between reading every night and whenever I can sneak it in durning the day, then reading to my kids every night and listening to audio books, I managed to rack up a respectable 107 books read in 2011.  I thought I would be happy about this until I realized a couple of things…

I think I’m a slow reader.  I’m watching bloggers, friends and my uber awesome agent Michelle Wolfson tear through books at a mind boggling speed.  What’s weird is that until now, I had no idea that I was such a slow reader.  Because I’ve always read a high volume of books, I’ve been under the impression that I was fast.

Yeah…I was living a pipe dream.

I’ve never been more aware of this than this week.  Gina Rosati of the Class of 2k12 is the first person (that I know of) to get an ARC of TOUCHING THE SURFACE.  She’s the first in line for the Class of 2k12 ARC TOUR.  This means that she is READING IT RIGHT NOW–ironically at the same time that I’m reading it for my last round of edits.  I started days before her and I’m crossing my fingers that she doesn’t finish before me.  Why do I care?  Well, because I’m weirdly self conscious of my overly long second toes and now my pokey reading skills.  Duh.

My second reading worry is that after making friends with all these wonderful debut authors, I’ve come to realize that if I only read their books–I still wouldn’t have enough time to read them all.  I’d come up short by about 40-50 books at least.  *sheesh*  This doesn’t leave me any reading time for the books I read with my kids, adult books, or books by already established authors that I love or I’m interested in!!!!  *head thunk*

And of course, if you’re wondering, this in no way prevents me from buying more books.  Because hell, I’m an optimist!!  I work hard to be a better dance.  I train to run faster and longer.  By golly, I’m going to read more books.  Is it realistic?  Can I become a faster reader?  Who knows, but I think I’ll have a fun time trying!!!!  And if I can’t learn to read a little faster than I’m just going to have to do less laundry.  :o)

So, my Goodreads 2012 Reading Challenge goal is 110 books.  Secretly I’m hoping to make at least 120–maybe even 125.

What’s you’re reading goal for 2012?

Tags: 2012, Goodreads, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, reading, Slow reading, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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I went skiing for the first time this weekend.  Once, twenty years ago, I slapped on a set of skis (without any instruction) and slid down a big hill on my butt, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t count as experience.

I know this sounds like the most obvious piece of information EVER–kind of like–if you fall down, the best way to get up is to stand on your feet, but I swear it hadn’t occurred to me.  In my mind, the whole point of skiing is to go DOWN THE HILL and the best way to slow down is to hit the brakes and snow plow.  And of course–if that doesn’t work–fall down.  

But, seriously, shouldn’t it be obvious that reversing direction slows that trajectory?  


My mind kept returning to the simplicity of the concept.  When life is moving too fast.  When things are out of control–slow down and turn around.  Go back to the place and the speed where you feel comfortable.

Wait for it…you know it’s coming…

In my mind, being a debut author is an exhilarating, once in a lifetime, wind-in-your hair kind of journey and sometimes–without warning–you find yourself traveling downhill way too fast.  I’ve seen people throw on their snow plows while leaving a smoke trail behind.  They rapidly burn through all the energy that they have.  I’ve seen people crash when they couldn’t put the breaks on fast enough.  I’ve felt myself have those moments where things begin to happen way too quickly and in a panic, I make a not so advantageous snap decision. And then I’m kicking myself afterwards.

I think that from now on, I’m going to try to remember what I learned on the slopes.  I don’t need to panic, I just need to make a gentle turn and head up hill until I’m moving slow enough that I can make a thoughtful decision about where to point my skis next.  I need to use my environment and my skills to my best advantage.  There is nothing wrong with setting your own pace and being comfortable.  It’s a lot more fun to make it down the hill dry and on your skis than it is to roll down on your face–cold and wet–too afraid to ever try it again.  :o)

So, have you ever been skiing?  Best tip?  Funniest story?  Biggest fear?  

Tags: debut, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, skiing, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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Right about now–the first week of the new year–folks are hard-core into their Resolutions.  Overall this is a wonderful thing.  All around the world, people are striving to become better versions of themselves.  Yay!

BUT…

Sometimes they annoy me.

So here is my pet peeve for the new year.  I absolutely hate going to the gym in January and having to wait to use a machine (that the eleven other months of the year) is usually empty.  Grrr.  This hasn’t been as bad for me this year because I’ve come to love running outside, but that won’t hold out forever.  Weather is a fickle friend.  Soon–inevitably–I’ll be in that gym.  Glaring at the resolute as they mess with my workout mojo.  In my heart I’m happy they’re at the gym.  I really am.  I just wish they weren’t there at the same time as me.  :o)

Come on–get grouchy–what’s your pet peeve for the New Year?

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, resolutions, YA Author, YA Novel, YA Writer

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